Just Ask Terry

My husband has been diagnosed with microscopic colitis.

Q. Dear Terry, “My husband has been diagnosed with microscopic colitis and suffers from bouts of diarrhea. I would appreciate any help you can give us.” — Ruth T., Cincinnati, OH

A. Dear Ruth, Diet plays a crucial role when it comes to controlling colitis symptoms. If your husband is not doing so already, I highly recommend that he avoid all refined carbohydrates, grains, sugar and soft drinks. I would recommend following this diet for at least 90 days before determining if it is helpful. If he finds it too difficult to avoid all grains, he can have the following grains; brown rice, quinoa, millet seed, buckwheat and/or amaranth. I would also recommend avoiding all dairy products with the exception of what some people think are dairy products – eggs, butter and cream. Click on my healthy diet plan for more information. This is the diet I follow and it will help your husband’s overall digestive health.

Your husband may also want to consider adding the following natural ingredients. However, I would encourage him to talk with his doctor and see what they think about the following suggestions.

I would first recommend adding a formula that contains a special blend of boswellia and curcumin. Curcumin and boswellia are two Indian plants that exhibit very effective anti-inflammatory properties, in addition to promoting tissue repair. Your husband should take 1 softgel of this combination twice daily. When looking for a formula, keep in mind that standard curcumin is very poorly absorbed, so make sure to choose a curcumin with excellent absorption that has been proven in published human studies. The best form I have ever found uses micronized curcumin blended with turmeric essential oils in a patented process. This curcumin has been shown in published human studies to be up to 10 times better absorbed than standard curcumin. It’s also important to find a formula that features a boswellia extract that has filtered out the majority of beta-boswellic acid to 5% or less. Unlike most boswellic acids, beta-boswellic acid is actually pro-inflammatory. Removing it greatly enhances the potency of the boswellia extract. You also want a boswellia extract that includes at least 10% or more of acetyl-11-keto-beta-boswellic acid (AKBA), the most active component of boswellia.

Adding probiotics and deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL) to his daily regimen will help to soothe the ‘gut’ – that is, the stomach and intestines. Probiotics, also called ‘beneficial bacteria’, typically colonize in the intestines and are not only beneficial for intestinal health, but overall health as well. I especially like a blend of probiotics combined with a clinically studied, encapsulated DGL. DGL helps keep the stomach and intestinal mucosal lining strong and intact. Look for a product that contains a DGL extract standardized to contain 3.5% glabridin, with greater than 10% total flavonoids per dose. I recommend taking 1 capsule of this blend twice daily.